Knowing what became of her it is difficult not to read Sylvia Plath through a ready-made filter. Having said that, there is enough darkness and foreboding in Johnny Panic and the Bible of Dreams to at least hint at what was to later transpire. Perhaps more than anyone else, the legend of her life is … Continue reading “Johnny Panic and the Bible of Dreams”
Category: Literature
A selection from August…
"when you see anything of mine that you don’t like remember that I’m sincere in doing it and that I’m working toward something." - Ernest Hemingway Here are a selection of recent posts from my Substack site. The post on gimmickry in poetry has been particularly well received; plus news on a nomination for a … Continue reading A selection from August…
“Joy in Service on Rue Tagore”
Well, I'm sorry, but I've given up on Paul Muldoon's new collection Joy in Service on the Rue Tagore. And the reason? Partly because I've no idea in terms of what's going on in most of the poems, but largely because they read as if the poet has sat down with a copy of a … Continue reading “Joy in Service on Rue Tagore”
“Prophet Song”
[It will be impossible to write this without spoilers of some kind...] Paul Lunch's Prophet Song is a difficult read. Not in the way it is written (though some people will struggle with how he handles dialogue) but because of its unrelenting agony, a depression that builds unremittingly, such that - even half-way through - … Continue reading “Prophet Song”
The note pinned above my desk…
Sometimes it’s remarkable how quickly a ‘low’ can be followed by a ‘high’…
Some recent posts from my Substack site: "Writing until the light goes out" "Writing until the light goes out"
“May Day”
There's a warning right there on the back cover blurb: "one of the UK's most cherished poets". Whatever that means. But really? Not for me, I'm afraid. Too much 'listing' for my taste, and a great deal of personal reflection with which it is impossible for the reader to associate. All this compounded by dated … Continue reading “May Day”
“Brooklyn”
I confess I expected more from Colm Tóibín's Brooklyn, especially as it is - apparently - 'now a major motion picture'. Tinsel Town must have worked its magic to turn something so slight into something 'major'. Not that I have a problem with little really happening (a lot of life's like that after all!), but … Continue reading “Brooklyn”
“Belief Systems”
Ekphrastic poetry needs, I believe, to have a link to its source material which is suitably strong and to some degree self-evident in order for it to work. The twelve poems sitting alongside images of Robert Rauschenberg's work which are at the heart of Tamar Yoseloff's Belief Systems for me just fail to hit the … Continue reading “Belief Systems”
Portal to a range of new content…
Some recent posts from my Substack site: "Writing until the light goes out" "Writing until the light goes out"
Ian Gouge - Writer 